Drift Velocity

The high speed of electrical signals results from the fact that the force between charges acts rapidly at a distance. Thus, when a free charge is forced into a wire, the incoming charge pushes other charges ahead due to the repulsive force between like charges. These moving charges move the charges farther down the line. The density of charge in...

Free electrons in a conductor travel in random paths and collide with other electrons and particles.

In an electric field, the randomly moving electrons gradually drift in the direction opposite to the applied electric field.

Thus, the average velocity of free-charged particles in a material due to an electric field is known as the...